FFX3: Someone Else's Story
by Vendetta Reborn
Summary: Epic, action-packed, and even romantic... Continuing in FFX tradition, Someone Else's Story follows Rikku in her own journey across Spira, as the world, and those she loves, are in danger once again. However, this time it's all in her own hands.
1. Another Story

**A Message from an Echo**

This all takes place about a year after the good/perfect ending of X-2. This is actually a story I began as Vendetta's Echo in 2004… It's taken me awhile, but I have plans to finish it. However, I had forgotten the e-mail address I used to create that account (It was, after all, 6 years since I updated any stories!), and it seems that I am at a loss to never access the account again. SO, I have decided to unearth this old story and see where it takes me. I have edited and tweaked the original 3 chapters that were posted under Vendetta's Echo, so that it is not in violation of 's rule of not having the same material posted multiple times. I am also working on typing up chapters 4-6 that I have hand written, so please, read and review – I welcome constructive criticism (as well as supportive encouragement)! Oh, and I don't own anything Final Fantasy related, including characters, locations, and whatnot from both FFX, FFX-2, and beyond.

**! Crystal**

**Chapter 1**

_Another Story_

She opened her eyes at the sound of footsteps climbing the stairs to the cabin's loft. Having been lying in her bed for hours now, Rikku had yet to fall asleep. There was too much on her mind, too much left to wonder, and too much left to want. And as she sat up, staring at this arresting creature before her, it only made her heart ache.

Even before opening her eyes, she had known it was Gippal. His footsteps, they gave him away. The loud, careless clomping sound of his boots was unmistakable to her ears. It was the oddest thing that now after all these years of a seemingly harmless crush, this asshole was breaking her up inside.

Keeping silent, she considered his appearance. She noticed a rosy sheen spreading across his narrow, hollowed cheekbones, and his striking blonde hair was soaked through by melted snow. He'd obviously just come in from the blizzard that was presently holding all of Mt. Gagazet captive.

Trying hard to keep all emotion from her face, she stood up before him. Nevertheless, his form still towered over her. A sad look of longing flickered briefly across his face. Smiling to hide his real feelings, he reached out a hand toward her. His touch was ice on her bare skin, and her brilliant green eyes studied his fingertips as they lay gently placed on her shoulder. She could feel her eyes brimming with salty tears, and it made her angry. It wasn't fair, and everything she'd ever done made her want to snap at him. It told her to pull away, which would have been her reaction in most cases, but this, it was different. Her mind was telling her one thing, something so completely familiar, but her heart was speaking a different language entirely.

However, Rikku was stubborn, overly stubborn. She didn't want things to be left like this, but as she quickly turned away from him, she couldn't help herself. "Go," she demanded, her eyes avoiding his. She tipped her chin upward and crossed her arms. "Just go," she said again, emphasizing the words as she turned away from him.

Hooking his thumbs through his belt loops, Gippal surveyed the situation. His gaze searched her entire body, up and down. He shook his head knowingly, understanding her well enough to guess where her reaction was coming from. A light smile appeared on his face and played with his lips for a short time as he stood there, refusing to comply with Rikku's demands just yet. He took a few confidant strides in her direction.

Catching the movement in the corner of her vision, Rikku glanced up at him briefly. Grimacing, she almost let a growl escape her throat as she took a few of her own steps away from him. Lately, when she was with him she lost all sense of direction and time, even logic, which would explain why as Gippal took one more step in her direction and she took one back, she hadn't been looking behind her and crashed into the loft railing. Tumbling backwards, Rikku would have fallen off the landing and hard onto the first floor. She probably would have broken many of the bones in her small frame had it not been for Gippal.

Having almost anticipated Rikku's fall, Gippal's reaction came quick. He took hold of both her arms with firm hands and pulled her back down onto her feet. Steadying her, he slid his hands down the lengths of her arms before letting go.

Rikku glared at him, no longer afraid to look him in the eye. "Why did you do that?" she snapped. "I would have been perfectly fine on my own," she paused in thought but went on to add, "and I will be now, when you leave. So go already, will ya?"

Gippal knew that she would go on talking when he didn't stop her. Rikku was like that. Once you got her started, it was difficult to get her stopped. So, listening, he folded his arms across his chest and rested his left foot on his right knee, that same cocky smile tickling his lips.

"Don't just stand there!" Rikku threw her arms into the air and stomped her foot. However, her anger was slowly melting, giving way to the sadness underneath. "Come on," she said, her voice quieter this time. "Don't make me do this." Her eyes bore into him as her teeth grazed her bottom lip. "Please go?" her phrasing, now lacking all demand became a pathetic request, one that she was trying so hard to believe herself.

The longer Gippal stayed with her, the more difficult it became to avoid listening to her heart, and now that he stood inches from her, his eyes, his nose, his lips hovering just above her, it was next to impossible.

Strike that.

He leaned in, even closer now, and pressed his lips firmly against hers.

It _was_ impossible.

Rikku surrendered herself to the kiss. Her eyes closed, and a single teardrop rolled down her cheek as she deepened the kiss. Feeling the need to be even closer to the girl, Gippal was pushing his body heavily into her, pressing her even further against the railing. Rikku felt the hard metal dig into her back and fought the motion. She placed her palms flat against Gippal's chest and shoved, still never pulling her mouth away from his.

Stumbling backward, Gippal hooked Rikku's waist with one arm, while the other coiled around her shoulder, his still icy hand resting at the nape of her neck. A chill trickled down her spine, but she still wouldn't give up her battle for control. Throwing herself into him, she forced the both of them even further back. Gippal's heels hooked the foot of Rikku's bed, and he tripped, falling backwards onto the soft mattress, his strength heaving Rikku on top of him. Only now pulling out of the kiss, Rikku tilted her head slightly to let out a soft giggle.

Gippal opened his eyes to watch her innocent face. Knowing Rikku meant that he understood just how deceiving appearances could be, but he liked that about her. Though right now he was only thinking about how happy he was to see her smile. She had been depressed ever since he'd told her of his plans. The least he could do was make her forget for a little while.

Offering her a smile, Gippal pulled his arms back towards his body, sliding them softly across her skin. He kept his gaze trained on her lips and reached upward to take hold of her hands, removing them from his chest. He felt the distribution of her weight change on his body, her hips settling deeper against his. Lifting his head slightly, he closed his eyes and kissed her once more. He parted her lips with his tongue, needing more than ever to intensify the kiss.

Rikku's eyes drifted closed. Her brief moment of happiness at her victory was fading. She was going to miss this, miss him, and she felt as if she had only just gotten him. Now he was going to go away already? She breathed deeply through her nose and somberly welcomed the kiss. Unable to control her emotions, Rikku knew that Gippal would be able to tell what she was thinking. He wasn't like most other members of the opposite sex who wouldn't know a smile from a frown, and he didn't always come across as so perceptive. But he really was, or at least he was perceptive to her.

Rolling over onto his side, he moved her off of him, but still kept her close. She was right; he could read her easily. The way she kissed him, her pacing had slowed, and he would swear that he felt a tear drop from her eye and onto the bridge of his nose. He moved his head back, removing his mouth from hers.

Her jaw hung slightly, and her lips were still parted, the bottom one trembling faintly. She hadn't exactly wanted him to stop, but her head told her heart that it would be easier this way. Watching his jaw lower, she saw his mouth mirror hers, with his lips separating as well, and she waited for him to speak.

"Rikku," he said her name, something he only did now on serious occasions, "you know I have to do this." He gave her hands a gentle squeeze. "Baralai and Nooj, they're going to go charging into this thing, and I have to follow them, or, you know, they will get themselves killed."

Just like the self-important, self-appointed hero that he sometimes came off as.

"And Paine?" she asked, ignoring her inner thoughts, which by now she would know were wrong. Gippal wasn't like that. He wasn't all cocky; he wasn't all bad.

Gippal shook his head, "Why do you even ask?" His vision searched her face. He didn't have to be a genius to realize that Rikku didn't want to face what lie ahead of her alone.

"She's going with you," he told her, his voice deepening. "No matter how independent you may think you are, you need her." A slight smile came to his face, though this smile was different than his previous smiles. It was the smile of a man who was about to give a sad girl some good news. "Kimahri too," he added, his smile growing.

"What?" Rikku asked him, happiness evident in her voice. "Kimahri will come?"

Gippal nodded, unable to drop his grin. "Wakka too, he just told us through the comm sphere."

"No way!" Rikku's eyes brightened and she pulled herself into a sitting position, while also tearing her hands away from Gippal's. She clapped once, gleefully glancing out the airship windows.

The sky was dark, but it was showered with falling white clumps of snow, almost like dying angels. Her happiness withered, and she looked to Gippal, "I know you can't come."

He nodded slowly, the effects of his smile having faded now too. "I wish I could."

"Me too," she breathed, leaning back again onto her side. She placed her head down onto the pillow and curled close against Gippal's body, draping her arm over his side. It was odd timing, but sleep was falling upon her. Yawning, Rikku shut her eyes tightly. "Don't leave until I fall asleep, okay?" she asked unhurriedly, through closed eyelids.

She couldn't see him do it, but he shook his head anyway. "I won't." He slid his arm over her hip and laid his palm at rest on her waist. Using his other arm, he propped his head up on his elbow and watched her drift asleep.

He thought for a moment that he should have said something more, something romantic, something about feelings – but that just wasn't their style. After all of these years, he now knew how she felt for him, and she knew his feelings too. They didn't need sappy words or to spill their guts for each other. There was an understanding there, strangely enough. Words, he felt, would only cheapen the moment.

When he finally rose quite a while later, Gippal pulled the covers at the foot of Rikku's bed over her sleeping form. About to turn and leave, he hesitated and moved back to plant a kiss on her forehead. He then proceeded to tip toe down the stairs so as not to wake her, but again Rikku heard him, though this time through her dreams.

_Soft thuds beat their rhythm into the ground below. She was being chased by the same monster that had murdered her friends, and would continue to do so if she didn't stop it. Her heart was racing, and beads of sweat poured off her. 'No,' she pleaded, racing past the bodies of her fallen comrades._

_Kimahri, conquered Kimahri. His blue fur was stained with pools of red blood, and his eyes were frozen open in a look of unmistakable defeat. He'd failed them all, but most of all he failed Yuna. He'd spent his entire life protecting the girl, but this time was different. This time he hadn't given enough._

_Wakka, poor Wakka. His arms and legs were twisted at odd angles. A deep stab wound had torn his abdomen apart. He too lay dead. His baby would grow up without a father, just as he had himself. It wasn't what he'd wanted. He'd only wanted to help Rikku, to save Yuna, to save Tidus._

_Paine. She was missing, but Rikku couldn't dwell on that. She had to get to Yuna and Tidus. She had to live long enough to find Gippal and help him. She had to –_

_Tripping, stumbling, falling, she flew towards the ground. She felt a sharp stabbing pain in her lower back, and she was on the ground. She was bleeding, and the red sticky fluid was pooling around her body on the ground. She was dying._

"RIKKU!" The shout came from over the intercom on the ship. It was Brother, rattling off at top volume in Al Bhed for her to come to the bridge.

She woke with a start, shoving the covers off of her body. The nightmare was not still evident in her mind. Although she awoke nervous and frightened, she didn't know why.

Within minutes Rikku had arrived on the bridge. Brother stood there, arms crossed an expression scowling, as she stood at the landing overlooking the rest of the bridge. Placing her hands on the rail, she eyed him with a forced expression of annoyance. "Fryd?" she demanded. (What?)

"Dra cduns ryc teat tufh, Rikku. Fa mayja vun Besaid." he instructed her before crossing back to his place at the front of the ship. (The storm has died down, Rikku. We leave for Besaid.)

Rikku glanced about the bridge. She noted Buddy, good old Buddy behind the controls. Shinra was there too, having shown up mysteriously not more than a month ago with a plethora of new gadgets, neglecting to explain anything. Brother was of course there as well. But Paine was missing, and Rikku hadn't seen her in the cabin either. She had woken up alone. A sinking feeling settled in her stomach. "Where is she?" Rikku demanded. "Where is Paine?"

She felt a presence behind her, followed by a deep and familiar voice. "Paine gone."

Rikku spun around to face Kimahri, the color red rising to her cheeks. "What do you mean she's gone?" she exclaimed. Rikku probably should have hugged the big blue guy, but she was preoccupied with Paine and possible betrayal. She was also probably overreacting.

"Paine go with others into mountain cave," he answered calmly. "Kimahri stay and protect Rikku. Kimahri and Rikku find Yuna."

Rikku shook her head. "How could she?" she asked no one in particular. "She didn't even say goodbye!" Her hands balled into tiny angry fists, and she began to jump around, taking aimless swings through the empty air.

She had no idea what made Paine decide to join the others on the quest into the depths of that unknown mountain cave, but it had to be something important, right? Rikku gritted her teeth. Maybe she'd just decided that old friends were better than new friends. When she saw Paine again, she was going to have it out with her, no matter how tough Paine was.

Storming off through the corridor to the ship's transportation capsule, Rikku angrily punched in the code that would bring her back to the cabin. With a swoosh, the transport took her there, and the doors slid open. The slight gust of air caused a strand of her blonde hair to fall into her face.

Blowing at it, Rikku swatted the strand away and stomped off into the cabin. She pounded her way past an ignored Barkeep, who asked her what 'sheemed' to be the matter, and made her way over to her personal console hidden around the back of the living quarters.

Clicking up a type screen, she began to write feverishly.

_So this must be my story._

_I begin it on my own with only an old and silent fried to help. I do not expect any of the others to follow us after we gather Wakka, and I wouldn't ask them to._

_But it all started when you heard about that hidden temple being found, and you just couldn't contain your curiosity …_


	2. When Machina Attack

**Messages from an Echo**

This chapter will take us into the past a bit so you can gain a better understanding of the events occurring before Gippal's departure. Also, Rikku is speaking to Yuna when she tells her story. Following the tradition of Yuna speaking to Tidus who was the main character in X, Rikku will speak to the person who was the main character in X-2. And I still own zip, zilch, nada, nothing. Thank you for reading!

**! Crystal**

**Chapter Two**

_When Machina Attack_

_You'd had Tidus back at your side for close to a year. The two of you were near inseparable, and I'll tell you now that I had been a little jealous. He watched over you as he had before. He would always be your guardian, but sometimes, I guess, love can blind a person._

_When you told me of the news, we'd been at your new home in Besaid._

_I'd always regretted letting you leave the Gullwings, but who was I to stop you?_

Rikku watched her cousin reveal her excited news. Apparently, during one of the digs in a previously unexplored region of the Bikanel Desert, an underground temple had been discovered. The Machine Faction was already hard at work in excavating the premises.

"Will you go with me?" Yuna asked, her eyes brightening as she clasped her hands together and eyed the younger blonde with anticipation that would be hard to refuse. "It would be like the days when I flew with the Gullwings!" she exclaimed, hopping in place. "Come on, Rikku!"

Rikku smiled, a slight color rising to her cheeks. The Machine Faction, it would be an excuse to see Gippal again. Her feelings she'd held for Gippal during her childhood had been reignited during the incident with Vegnagun, and ever since then she had always jumped at every chance to see him. Plus, an adventure had seemed like a good idea at the time.

Nodding eagerly, Rikku shared a grin with Yuna. "Of course!" She took Yuna by the hand and began pulling her off towards where the airship had been docked. "Let's go!"

Yuna laughed. "Rikku, wait," she quipped. "Let me bring Tidus, won't you?"

Rikku dropped Yuna's hand and faked a pout. "If you have to," she replied sarcastically. Everyone knew that Rikku loved Tidus, but not in the way Yuna did. Rikku would never admit that she'd had a crush on the sandy haired and foggy minded blitzer at first but that was only because he'd reminded her so much of someone else. And it wasn't as if she still thought of him that way; Rikku had grown to love Tidus as a brother, and she would go as far as to wish that he had been her real brother all along. He'd make her a better brother than Brother did any day of the week. That was for sure. Rikku was thrilled to have Tidus along on their little adventure.

Yuna spun around, and Rikku watched her jog off in the direction of the beach. Tidus was likely to be there blitzing with the Auroch's. It was something that he still liked to do. Ever since he returned to Spira, he'd said that it was what he loved most, next to Yuna of course.

Before Yuna had wandered too far, Rikku ran ahead a few paces. "Meet me on the airship?" she called out. Yuna answered with a nod and a wave.

Rikku smiled sadly at her cousins fading form. She had believed then that in that moment she should have been happy, excited, but for some reason, Rikku was feeling something other than those two emotions. She was lonely, and she wanted someone for herself. Yuna and Tidus had each other, but who was she left with?

_The three of us wasted no time in leaving on the airship with the rest of the Gullwings._

_Unlike you, Paine has continued to travel across Spira with the rest of us. Buddy and Brother were still a part of the crew, Barkeep was around as always, and Shinra had returned just a few weeks before hand. You were the only one left to rejoin us, and I'd hoped that this little adventure would remind you of how great the days of YRP used to be._

Rikku bounced about the bridge. Yuna had just informed everyone as to what their plans were. They would head for D'jose. The buried temple was probably a secured area of the desert, and they had all agreed that the Faction wouldn't allow access to just anyone. So heading to the Faction's headquarters at D'jose was their best bet. Gippal would most likely be there, and he would give them the okay.

"Rikku," Tidus called, eyeing her with a twinkling eye, "I don't know when I remember seeing you this excited. What gives?" He dashed across the bridge to where Rikku had hopped and playfully gave her a jab in the stomach.

"No one," her voice rang in a singsong tone, and she suddenly realized her slip up. "Oh, uh, I … I mean nothing! … Tysh." Rikku's head swung in Yuna's direction, her eyes pleading with the older girl not to say anything. (Damn.)

Yuna grinned as her gaze shot toward Paine, who was standing opposite her on the bridge, her hand resting on the wall of the airship. Paine's ruby eyes lit up slightly at the chance to tease Rikku. "Oh sure," she droned, and strode towards Tidus and Rikku. Glancing over at Tidus, she smirked. "Rikku's fallen for the leader of the Machine Faction."

Rikku's jaw dropped, and she swatted at Paine with both arms. "I did not!" she whined.

Tidus laughed, catching on to the game. "What, Rikku's in love?"

"No!" Rikku shouted, jumping up and down like a frustrated child. "That's not even what she said!"

"Uh huh," Yuna raced over, nodding her head repeatedly. "She has been for quite some time now."

Rikku's three friends were cornering her, while Brother sat there, trying to figure out who it was they were talking about. If his sister was running around with some … He stopped, suddenly frozen, and spun around to face the group. "GIPPAL!" Anger rose to his face. It would have been bad enough for him to witness the show between Yuna and this… Tidus jerk, but now his sister has been gallivanting with, of all the rotten guys in Spira, Gippal? It was the worst thing that could have possibly happened. "RIKKU!" He tried to spit out words of rage and disapproval, but all that left his tongue was an aggravated shout. He stormed off to another part of the ship, readying to sort out this new development in his head.

Everyone watched after Brother with raised eyebrows, but Rikku just shrugged off his reaction. She looked from Paine, to Tidus, and then to Yuna. "Come on," she urged them, "you're making this bigger than it is!" She stomped her foot. "Can we please just drop it?"

Yuna sighed and placed a hand on her cousin's shoulder. "Okay, if it means that much to you, Rikku, we'll give it a rest." Paine nodded once in agreement, and Tidus simply shrugged his shoulders. Both of them backed up a few steps and gave Rikku some more breathing room.

"Oh gee, thanks," she told them all sarcastically. All this teasing was making her quite uneasy. Was she really that easy to see through? If Yuna and Paine had managed to see through her and read that she had feelings for Gippal, had he been able to do the same? How embarrassing!

Before she was able to contemplate this any longer, Buddy interjected her thoughts. "D'jose Temple, we have arrived," he announced loudly.

The sounds of crunching metal and loud, chattering Al Bhed tongues could be heard all throughout the area as the group crossed over the bridge and into the temple clearing. Tidus' eyes glanced about the place with wonder. It was his first visit to D'jose since his return to Spira.

"Wow," he breathed, jogging ahead a few steps. "This place has really changed too." Coming to a stop, he shuffled his foot and kicked up some dirt clouds in the process. "Everything in Spira is so … different," he declared and turned around to look at Yuna. "Are you sure I'd only been gone for two years?"

Yuna nodded, a small smile gracing her face. "Yes, I'm sure," she told him and skipped to his side. Walking next to Paine, Rikku watched her cousin and the way she and Tidus were looking at each other. The compassion that he held in his eyes, it was unmistakable, and it was directed only at Yuna, as if she were the only person left in the world. Yuna slipped her arm around his and gave his hand a squeeze. He smiled, interlocking his fingers with hers.

An uncontrolled puff of air escaped Rikku's lips, and she raced ahead of the couple. She put on a happy façade when all she really wanted to do was sulk. "Last one inside is a rotten egg!" She shouted over her shoulder.

For a brief second, Tidus remained at Yuna's side, but only for that brief second. Unable to ignore Rikku's challenge, he dropped Yuna's hand and grinned at her before dashing off after Rikku.

Yuna laughed at their display, shaking her head. She was about to rally Paine into chasing after them when she felt someone take hold of her arm. Turning immediately to see Paine's gloved hand, Yuna looked to the expression on her friends face. Paine wasn't smiling, and a look of concern had clouded her eyes. "What is it?" she asked, the smile fading from her own face.

"It's Rikku," Paine answered poignantly. She'd not only seen the quick display between Yuna and Tidus, but she'd witnessed Rikku's reaction to it as well. "Something's up. She's being fake about this. There's something else going on in that crazy head of hers." Yuna simply nodded. She hadn't seen it herself, but she believed Paine and would keep an eye out for Rikku.

Suddenly, loud shouts rang out as Rikku, who had won the footrace, crashed into two Al Bhed guards at the temple doors. Tidus, unable to stop himself either, slammed into Rikku and started a domino effect that would result in a tangled mass of all four bodies on the ground.

"Hu uha ec ymmufat du ahdan," one of guards declared, trying still to block their entrance, "Gippal's untanc!" [No one is allowed to enter, Gippal's orders!]

Rikku scrambled to her feet. "Forget Gippal's orders!" she exclaimed, pushing past him. "Tu oui ghuf fru fa yna?" Flipping her nose in the air, she scoffed at the guard and pulled open the temple door, hoisting herself quickly inside. [Do you know who we are?]

"Yeah," Tidus nodded firmly, pushing himself to his feet, "what she said!" His Al Bhed was still a little rusty; he thought Rikku had asked for directions to the nearest bar, but he knew that he had to have been mistaken. Tidus hurried inside after Rikku before the guards could compose themselves and stop him.

Inside the temple, Rikku gasped at the madness that was ensuing. It was no wonder that Gippal hadn't wanted anyone to come in. They'd probably get killed. An unbelievably large machina was thrashing around the temple, destroying everything in sight – the architecture, the machinery, even the people.

As the machina hurled a young Al Bhed man through the air, Tidus jumped backwards. "Whoa!" he exclaimed. Reaching out to her, he tugged on Rikku's shoulder. "Rikku, what's going on?"

"I don't know," she replied nervously as her eyes scanned the room for Gippal. Parts of the temple walls were littering the ground, and the staircase that led to the higher levels of the temple was completely destroyed. There wasn't one of the Faction's gadgets in the room that hadn't been damaged. People lay strewn about on the ground, moaning and groaning.

"Hey, Cid's girl!" she finally heard someone shout. Her gaze flew in the direction that the familiar voice had come from. There she saw Gippal, clinging to the back of the machina and attempting to cross its wires to deactivate it. "Feel like lending us a hand?"

Rikku cocked her head to the side. By now she'd gotten used to the fact that Gippal simply refused to address her by her name, but she was puzzled about something else. It wasn't like Gippal to ask for help, especially not from her. Nevertheless, she ran up to the machina, readying herself to jump into battle.

"Hey wait!" Tidus called out to her as he quickly joined her. "Rikku, you know that we'll be fighting this thing alone, right?" He jumped in between the young blonde and the huge machina. "There's no way that those guards will let Yuna and Paine in here after us."

"Gippal will help," she told him confidently. "We'll be fine."

Raising an eyebrow, Tidus watched the young Al Bhed man jump down from the machina. So this was him; this was Gippal. He hadn't yet formed an opinion on the leader, but Tidus was simply ready to criticize. Rikku was extremely close to him, and he didn't want her ending up hurt. But he also realized that this wasn't the time to dwell on matters of the heart, there was a battle to be won. Pulling out his sword, Tidus leapt in front of the machina.

Standing just behind him, Rikku switched to her warrior dress sphere as Gippal reached her side. "How did this happen?" she shouted at Gippal over the noise of Tidus' sword slashing metal.

"Long story," Gippal replied, his volume equaling hers, "let's save it for later." He lunged at the machina once Tidus' attack had finished. However, the machina had managed to counter Gippal's attack and threw him backwards. Gippal's body hit the temple wall, which cracked under the force. A chunk of the ceiling came loose and pounded his head. A short strand of his blonde hair slipped over his eye patch as he slumped to the floor, now unconscious.

Rikku glanced over her shoulder at him and groaned. "Oh, Gippal," she muttered, "you do need help. You always have." She tossed a Phoenix Down in his direction, and within moments he was back on his feet, rubbing the back of his head.

"Thanks," he muttered, about to rejoin the battle when the machina attacked Rikku. She flew in the same direction he had.

"Aieeeeeee!" she squealed, kicking her legs. The force of the machina's blow had sent her hurtling straight for Gippal, who in turn held out his arms to catch her. Unfortunately, the task wasn't as easy as he had hoped.

Rikku landed in his arms, but her momentum had caused the two of them to fall back against the rubble. Gippal, seemingly uncomfortable, slid his hand off of the bare skin on the back of Rikku's thigh that he had so unintentionally reached for. "What are you waiting for?" he demanded. "Your _friend _can't handle this thing alone."

For a split second, Rikku questioned the way Gippal had said the word friend. It was almost as if he was jealous. But no, she must have misheard him. Scrambling to her feet, she nodded and hurried back towards Tidus with Gippal following close behind.

Unleashing a chain attack on the machina, Tidus stabbed it and Rikku swung her own sword at it directly afterward. It seemed to be weakening. "Just a few more hits!" Rikku cheered.

Gippal gave the machina one last shot with his bulls-eye attack, and it crumbled to the ground. "Yeah!" he shouted in self victory, kicking the pile of metal parts. He winced slightly as his toe began throbbing, but he wasn't about to let Rikku and Tidus know it. Crossing the temple floor past Rikku, he scratched the back of his head.

He counted himself lucky that she had shown up, but he wasn't about to let her know that either. Rikku was a funny and touchy subject with him for reasons that lay buried in their pasts. He'd left her as a girl, a best friend to him, and when he'd seen her after his return from the crimson squad, during their run-ins with Vegnagun, he'd been amazed. She'd developed into a young woman. He wasn't so sure of it, but Gippal had developed an attraction toward her.

His gaze slid back to her. She was facing the other young man, someone he didn't recognize, someone he'd hoped wasn't romantically connected to her. Was he really hoping that? He didn't want to, but somehow, he was.

She looked so powerful in her warrior uniform. This was his first time seeing her dressed in it, and he was ready to declare it his favorite. The warrior costume didn't show nearly as much skin as many of her other dress spheres, but he felt drawn to it. Catching her rear view, he eyed the skin on her upper legs that he had been touching just a short time ago. He wanted to touch it again.

Gippal shook the thoughts from his head. He had things to attend to. The temple was falling apart at this strange machina attack, and his people, the rest of the Faction, needed attending to. As he went to them to distribute potions and healing aids, he addressed Rikku and Tidus, "So what brings you to D'jose?" He posed a guess, "Interests in the buried temple at Bikanel?"

Rikku spun on her heels to glare at Gippal. She couldn't believe how quickly he had moved off of the subject of the out of control machina, the strange and giant out of control machina that for reasons she couldn't quite place struck her has very odd, but most of all she couldn't believe that he'd neglected to thank them for their help. She opened her mouth to yell at him, but Tidus spoke before she got the chance.

"Actually, yes," he said, casting a sideways glance at Rikku before approaching Gippal. He bent down next to the eye patch wearing blonde, who had been hovering over an unconscious, young female Al Bhed. Tidus pulled a potion out of his back pocket and handed it to Gippal. "I'm Tidus, by the way," he said.

Gippal stood, and Tidus rose as well. They grasped each other's hands and shook firmly. "Gippal," he gave his own name before releasing Tidus' hand. "So, are you Rikku's new love interest?" he asked, winking at Rikku over his shoulder and trying to play it off as a cool question with an answer that he wouldn't at all be invested in.

"No!" Rikku ran over to the pair. "Tidus is with Yuna," she told him quickly before any more damage could be done to the situation, before Tidus could say anything regarding her feelings for Gippal.

Gippal's eyebrows raised, and his one visible eye seemed to light up. "Ah," he began, "so, this is the famed guardian. This is the man from Zanarkand a thousand years past, whom the High Summoner fell in love with, whom she went on a quest to find, whom –"

Rikku gave Gippal a shove. "Quit it! It isn't _that_ big of a deal," she interrupted. "Besides, we came to talk about the desert temple, remember?" Placing a hand on her hip, she eyed Gippal, awaiting a response from him.

"Right," Gippal said with a nod, "what about it?" Again, he scratched the back of his head.

"We want to go," Rikku told him, rolling her eyes. "Yuna's outside right now. She wants to see it."

"You know," Gippal started, "I've been meaning to go see it too. Things around here have been so busy that I haven't gotten the chance yet." He moved across the room to attend to another of the fallen Faction members before continuing. "So what do you say about you helping me clean up around here, and then we'll all go."

Rikku scoffed at him, wrinkling her nose. "What do you say about no?" She crossed her arms over her chest. "Clean up your own mess."

Gippal gave an exaggerated sigh. "Fine then," he said with his back to her as he moved on to helping another Al Bhed. "Good luck getting into the temple area without me. It's a highly protected area."

Rikku's eyes narrowed at his back. "We had no trouble getting in here, did we?" she shot her words at him, anger and frustration evident in her voice.

She felt someone take a hold of her elbow and looked to see Tidus, giving her a warning stare. He then spoke to Gippal, "I think we can help you here."

Gippal turned his head to the side and winked. "Glad to hear it," he announced with a victoriously smug grin.


	3. Fueled by Flames

**A Message from an Echo**

Thanks for reading! And a special thank you to RaquellaRose for reviewing and insisting on an update! Here is an edited Chapter 3… Chapter 4 should follow tomorrow… a bit of an early Christmas present, perhaps? ;) I still own nothing!

**! Crystal**

**Chapter Three**

_Fueled by Flames_

_It turned out that by 'help me clean up,' Gippal had really meant 'watch me instruct the remaining Machine Faction members on how to clean up.' Did you honestly believe that Gippal would do the job himself?_

_We were back on board the Celsius in no time._

The four plus one spread themselves throughout the bridge, which was starting to become overcrowded. Brother had returned to his position by now as well, and when he turned to see the new addition to their party, sparks flew.

"Oui pnuikrd Gippal pylg fedr oui!" he shouted, jumping up from his seat and hurrying over to stand directly in the center of the bridge. "Fro tet oui pnehk Gippal pylg fedr oui?" (You brought Gippal back with you! Why did you bring Gippal back with you?)

Rikku's hands flew to her hips, and she stalked closer to Brother, placing herself directly in his face. "Ra ec lusehk du Bikanel fedr ic!" she stated, her tone of voice displaying her unwillingness to compromise. (He is coming to Bikanel with us!)

"E fuh'd ryja ed!" Brother folded his arms across his chest, huffing and puffing. He spun around, turning his back to Rikku, who in turn placed her palms on his back and shoved. Brother stumbled forward. "I said no! It's my airship, and I don't want this jerk riding on it!" (I won't have it!)

Rikku growled in response, however, immediately stopping when she felt Gippal's hand on her arm. She shook it free, shooting a warning glare in his direction. Gippal backed away, his hands going up, signaling peace.

"Just trying to calm you down," he said, keeping his cool. Shrugging once, he turned to address Brother. "If it means that much to you, I don't have to go," he paused, a slight smirk crossing over his face, "but then everyone here can't go without me." Gippal's expression became blank, giving off a feigned sense of sympathy.

Brother started to nod and opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Yuna had hurried to his side. "Brother, please," she looked at him with big, sad eyes, "I really want to see the temple."

A sound of uncertainty droned off of his tongue, Brother looked from Yuna to Gippal and back to Yuna again. His hard expression melted at the sight of her. He couldn't be the one to make her upset, even if it meant letting Gippal, scum of Spira, ride on his airship. He sighed in his defeat, throwing his arms into the air. "Fine," he swatted at nothing and turned to sulk back to his position at the front of the ship, but not without first making one last demand of Gippal, "but only if he rides out on the deck!" He turned his nose upward. "Dra csamm pudranc sa." (The smell bothers me.)

Gippal shrugged again, unfazed by the insults. "If that's the way you want it, chief." With those words, he left the bridge.

Rikku stared after him, her eyes ablaze. She pointed a finger at Brother. "Oui lyh pa cilr y sayhea, oui ghuf?" (You can be such a meanie, you know?)

"Eh," Brother made the sound as if he couldn't care less.

Sensing the tension in the air, Buddy changed the subject. "Destination Bikanel Desert," he declared, switching some buttons on the console in front of him. He turned to look at the remaining party members from over his shoulder. "We should arrive in a few hours."

Sticking her tongue out at Brother's back, Rikku started to exit the bridge. "I'm going to go check up on Gippal," she announced and disappeared.

Tidus watched after her, starting to become slightly antsy. "What's the deal with that guy anyway?" he asked, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Paine stepped towards Tidus, remembering Gippal as a good friend to her. She remembered his cocky tendencies, of course, but she also remembered his kindness. Gippal was self-sacrificing even if he didn't come across that way. After all, he'd wanted to protect Spira even when all of its people were against him and who he was, Al Bhed.

"He's arrogant," Paine stated abruptly and went on to add, "but he's not bad." She nodded once, her eyes appearing somewhat distant. A gruff and exaggerated sigh could be heard from somewhere in Brother's direction.

"Yeah," Yuna agreed, continuing Paine's nod, "his heart is in the right place."

"He was –" Tidus started, but his voice faltered when he realized Brother could hear him. Leaning in close to Yuna and Paine, he spoke quietly, "He was eyeing Rikku, back when we were fighting that machina. I saw him with my own two eyes!" Starting to get excited, his voice rose. "I knew that look. I mean I used to have that same look around hot – " he stopped, quickly glancing at Yuna, "around girls like Rikku."

Paine shook her head. "What do you expect?" she asked Tidus. "He's Gippal. He's a guy." Pausing, she placed a hand on her hip and pushed a strand of her silver locks away from her face with the other. "He looked at Yuna that same way when he first met her up close."

Yuna gasped, a hand rising to her petite yet now gaping mouth. "Paine!" she exclaimed.

Paine rolled her ruby eyes. "Yuna," she said pointedly, "you know he was."

A slight color rose to Yuna's cheeks, but this time she kept quiet.

Tidus shook his head, his dirty blonde locks bouncing with the motion. He sidestepped the sidetrack in their conversation. "I still don't know what to think about this guy. He makes me uneasy." He paused a moment, and then added, "Can we really trust him? Like, what's with the eye-patch? I mean, do we even know if he's really missing an eye under there?"

"No, I guess we don't," Yuna breathed distractedly, but she soon brought herself back to the situation at hand, "but Tidus, really, I don't think Gippal would do anything to hurt Rikku. He's known her longer than you have."

Tidus shrugged his shoulders, giving in to the two women for now. If they seemed to trust this Gippal, then maybe he could too, but nevertheless he was going to keep an eye on Gippal, one eye on Gippal and the other on Rikku. If Rikku was into Gippal, and Gippal was looking at Rikku with that one eye if his, there was no telling what could happen.

Outside, the airship's hatch slid open, emitting a droning sound. Gippal, sitting at the deck's edge with his knees against his chest, looked over his shoulder to see Rikku reach the top of the stairs. She too stepped out onto the deck, her boots making a soft pattering sound as she jogged all the way down to where he was. The hatch clicked shut behind her.

"Brother kick you off the ship too?" he asked with a sly smirk.

"No, I – " Rikku paused, coming to a stop because she didn't even know the real reason for her being there. Well, she had a feeling. She had a feeling that the others were right and she really did still have feelings for Gippal. "No," she finally said.

Gippal squinted up at her, letting out a chuckle. "Okay then," he said still laughing. Once he'd caught his breath, he slid over on the deck, leaving some room next to him. "Have a seat, Rikku," he said, patting the metal that was the airship.

Rikku hadn't even registered what Gippal had meant. He'd said her name. Gippal had actually called her by her name, not Cid's girl, not Kid, but Rikku. He'd called her Rikku.

"Um," Gippal started, eyeing her oddly with his one good eye, "Rikku?"

He'd said it again, but this time Rikku was able to shake out of her thoughts. "Hmm? What?" she asked, snapping to. Rikku glanced at Gippal, her gaze trailing down his arm to the bare spot on the deck next to him. "Oh," she breathed, blushing, "yeah, sorry." Scrambling down onto the deck, Rikku tried to keep her cheeks from becoming even redder.

Gippal looked at her, seeing her flushed face. He wasn't so sure that he understood it, but in a way he welcomed it. "So," he began awkwardly, not exactly knowing what to say. He let silence reign for a while, when his mind finally settled on something that should be said. "Thanks for helping me out back there," he told her, beginning to tap his foot against the airship. Rikku smiled, happy at the fact that Gippal had gone against his own I-don't-need-anyone's-help-ever attitude. "I mean," Gippal went on, "I'm sure I could have had the situation under control myself – "

Aw, Rikku thought, he should have stopped there.

However, Gippal went on, "but I'm glad you showed up at that second."

"Yeah," Rikku quipped, injecting a sarcastic comment into their conversation, "ugyo, frydajan oui cyo." She glanced at him through the corner of her swirling eyes and then proceeded to roll them at him. (Okay, whatever you say.)

"What?" Gippal caught her unwillingness to believe. "Do you have a problem with me or something? I'm sensing more hostility from you than from a practicing Yevonite back during the days of Sin." He kicked his foot down onto the airship, settling its tapping.

"No!" Rikku replied quickly. She didn't want him to think that she hated him, but she didn't want him to think that she liked him either. In fact, she wasn't sure what she wanted him to think. "Why? Is there a reason that I should?"

"No!" Gippal answered just as quickly as she had. He felt dumb now that he'd answered so fast and tried to regain his composure with a quick comeback. "If there had been I wouldn't have asked." He looked at her smugly, not allowing any evidence to reach the surface that he mentally cursed himself for dishing the weakest comeback ever.

Slowly his smug expression began to melt as he watched Rikku. Was he being a complete jerk? Hesitating, he wondered if he should drop the tough guy Gippal act. He turned his body sideways to face her. Still, even after a year of seeing her every so often, he couldn't believe how much she'd grown up since the days when he used to know her as a kid, as Cid's little girl. Since the days of Sin.

He supposed they'd both grown up since then. Maybe they'd matured as well. Sneaking a peek into Rikku's bright, still childlike eyes, he cancelled that last thought. No, they were both still awfully immature. Even still, Gippal couldn't resist thinking that things between them had changed a lot. And it wasn't just the time passing that changed them.

He remembered the day that he had told everyone at Home of his plans to try out for the Crimson Squad. He was only sixteen, and Rikku, she was still just fifteen. They'd grown up together. He would even have gone as far as to call her his best friend. Of course he wouldn't have admitted to any of the other Al Bhed boys that his best friend was a girl, but he would admit it now, to himself.

Rikku had hated him for leaving her, hated him so much that she took off with three of their other friends on an old watership that they'd salvaged together, even with the ever-present threat of the lingering Sin. When she'd realized that she wouldn't be able to make him change his mind, Rikku had been determined to win, to be the first one to leave the other. The day she was to leave, she'd stormed up to him and told him that she never wanted to see him again. Then, she did something that remained in Gippal's mind as clear as if it had happened the day before, a memory that he revisited now.

"Rikku," he said her name again, and she snapped to his attention. "Why did you do it?"

She stared at him blankly, clueless as to the subject of his question. "Do what?" she asked, shaking her head. "Gippal, you're not making any sense!"

"Leave," he returned, pausing and then jumping into an entire accusation. "Yell at me for wanting to leave, wanting to save Spira, wanting to help – to do something selfless for once. You always used to complain that I only did things for myself, and then the one thing I wanted to do for everyone else in the world, even though most of it hated who I was, who we are – that one good thing, you hated me for it." He turned away, staring out into the oncoming sky. He heaved a gruff sigh and pushed himself to his feet. Now with his back to her, he spoke again. "Rikku, why did you kiss me?"

Rikku's jaw dropped as she gaped at his back. She hadn't even thought that he remembered that. After all, it was three years ago, and it wasn't anything really. She'd loved him, sure, but she'd gone through life watching him date the other older, prettier Al Bhed girls. And she'd been somewhat okay with that, as long as he was in her life as her friend, her best friend. She winced painfully, knowing now that Gippal had thought she hated him. Well, she had, or at least she had convinced herself that she did. For the sake of chocobos, he had wanted to leave Home, to leave her. At the time, she'd thought he was going off to some unknown destiny where he'd probably just get himself killed. She couldn't bear to lose him, and he hadn't even cared about what she thought about it. No one ever thought about Rikku. She was just this happy-go-lucky little blonde Al Bhed girl. _What about Rikku?_ She wanted to scream it out loud. _Rikku has feelings too._

Scrambling to her feet, Rikku ran up to Gippal and jabbed an accusing finger into the small of his back. Jumping, Gippal spun around to face her. "Hey, pal," she started, glaring at him and still waving her finger at him. "I left because I wanted you to know how it felt!" she shouted, her voice far surpassing the noise of the airship and the noise of the clouds whizzing by them. "I yelled at you because I would have done anything to make you stay!" She stomped her foot, feeling the same feelings that once existed in her rising again. Inhaling deeply, she went on further into her explanations, "and I kissed you because I cared about you! I thought maybe if you knew I really liked you, you would stay." She now pulled her finger away, holding it behind her back with her other hand. "And, you big, dumb shoopuff, I didn't hate you!" she blurted. "I liked you, okay? I _liked_ you." Her voice quieting, she looked away. "I thought you would have known that."

"Well I didn't!" Gippal yelled in frustration, matching Rikku's previous volume.

"Even after I kissed you?" Rikku demanded, placing her hands on her hips. Only now did her eyes return to view his face. He seemed flustered, definitely not cool.

Gippal rolled his head backward and threw his hands up at the sky. "Well, I kind of started to wonder _then_!" Sighing, he tried to settle down. Sometimes dealing with Rikku was difficult, too difficult for him to handle. "Why didn't you tell me before that? If I would have known …" His voice trailed off, and he wasn't sure of how to finish his sentence.

"What?" Rikku wanted to know. "What would you have done?" She shook her head at him, being her same-as-always stubborn self. "You wouldn't have done anything differently, Gippal," she spoke his name as if it were a curse word, "because you didn't think about me that way. You never did, and you never will."

"You_ don't_ know that," he sneered back at her, questioning her readiness to pretend she knew him. How could she speak for him? How could she know? She couldn't, and she didn't.

"Oh yeah?" Rikku wrinkled her nose and narrowed her eyes at him. "What would you have done then?"

"I … I – " Gippal's words failed him for once in his life. "I don't know!" he exclaimed, his voice breaking. "Maybe I would if you'd given me the chance."

"Tuh'd keja sa dryd!" she exploded, spinning in place and then running across the deck, away from him. Now standing at the opposite edge of the airship, she pulled her eyes closed. (Don't give me that!)

Gippal growled, frustrated beyond belief. He wondered how she could do this to him, and he couldn't decide how it was possible that she brought him to a point like this or how she did it so easily. But he didn't have long to wonder, as Rikku suddenly gasped.

"Gippal!" she shouted. "Gippal! Gippal, come here quick!" He turned to look at her tiny form. She was jumping up and down, waving her hands at him frantically. Fear was grasping every feature on her face.

It was amazing how he'd been so angry with her seconds beforehand, and now, all he wanted to do was run to her rescue.

"What?" he called back, hurrying to her side. "What's wr – " He stopped, dropping his voice as he stared off the edge of the airship and down into the desert which now flew below them.

Fire sprang up from various machina. Every single hut in this gathering of the desert was on flames. This section of the desert wasn't the one that they were headed for. In fact, it was nowhere near that part, but Gippal recognized this area as one of the Machine Faction's other camps at Bikanel. It was located just near an oasis, and he could see tiny figures running to and from the oasis, probably getting water to attempt to put out the flames. Though, he couldn't see that as being any help, the fires were just too large and too out of control.

"Everyone to the bridge!" they heard Buddy's voice crackle over the ship's intercom.

Brother's voice followed. "Not Gippal! Everyone except for Gippal!"

A thwomping sound, then a thudding sound and a groan were heard, and Buddy's voice returned. "No, Gippal too, especially Gippal."

_Everyone else had seen the fires too. You had wanted to help the people down in the camp, and Gippal agreed. No one understood how the fires had started, and all we knew was that we could help. So, that's what we did._


	4. Fire and Ice

**Author's Note:**

Unfortunately did not get this up as quickly as I had hoped. Busy, busy time of year! This next chapter turned up super short – I guess that happens when you hand-write things. However, it should be leading into a very action-packed Chapter 5, so please, stay tuned! Thanks for reading, and again, keep in mind that I do not own FFX or FFX-2, including the characters, locations, concepts, etc. associated with them.

**!Crystal**

**Chapter Four**

_Fire and Ice_

As the airship was landing, Rikku, Gippal, Paine, Yuna, and Tidus were already jumping from the ship and racing towards the camp. The three girls were quickly switching to their black mage dresspheres, so that they could use magic to put out the flames. Tidus and Gippal spread out to urge villagers away from the fires.

Running up to one of the workers carrying a bucket of water toward a burning tent, Gippal shouted, "Fa'na rana du ramb. Cdyht pylg!" (We're here to help. Stand back!)

"Pod la teokndih," the woman yelled back, "mni um mducc urmuti!" (But my daughter, she is still inside!)

Gippal fought to be heard over the noise around them. "U zucc kid nih yod. Ryz, mdert pesg!" he urged. (I will get her out. Now, stand back!)

A few yards back, Rikku had finished her transformation in time to notice Gippal run into the flaming hut. Why couldn't that boy wait for someone to put out the fire first? Did he have a death wish? "So impatient," Rikku grumbled, chasing after him.

Standing outside, Rikku prepared a blizzaga spell to fight the fire. Seeing her do this, Yuna's eyes widened as she could tell what spell Rikku was readying to aim at the hut. The more experienced mage realized the error in her cousin's reasoning. "Rikku, no!" she shouted, too late.

The magic left Rikku's staff, and an instant later, sparks flew from the hut in an explosive blast. The spell _did_ cause the fire to subside. However, what Rikku hadn't realized was that she wasn't fighting fiends with fire weaknesses, she was trying to extinguish _actual_ fires.

"Water, Rikku, water!" Yuna shouted, shaking her head and racing toward another hut, not realizing that there had been anyone inside the hut before it collapsed in the explosion, but Rikku was all too aware of this fact.

Panic flooded her system. She ran to the collapsed hut, which, while no longer on fire, was still smoking. "Oooooh! Gippal!" she called out, hoping that he was alright – she would have prayed, _if_ she believed in that sort of thing. Not caring that the wooden beams were still hot to the touch, she began tearing them away, piece by piece and chucking them over her shoulder, trying to dig Gippal out from underneath the mess.

It felt like forever, digging through the pile, though it was at most a few minutes until she saw the bright colors of Gippal's clothing. Although it hadn't seemed possible before, she was now digging even faster to get him out. Rikku thought about getting help from the others, but as she glanced around quickly, she knew that the workers in the camp needed their help just as badly. Their little band of heroes was already spread to thin. A pang of guilt tugged at Rikku , and she mentally cursed herself. If she hadn't have been so stupid, both she and Gippal could be helping the workers too. Snapping her out of her thoughts, Rikku was surprised to see that another woman, an Al Bhed woman from the camp, had frantically begun to help Rikku free Gippal.

"Dryhgc," Rikku offered quickly. (Thanks.)

The woman didn't even look up at her.

"So tyikrdan," she shrieked, "ra fahd eh drana du kad ran uid!" (My daughter, he went in there to get her out!)

"Tysh." This time Rikku cursed herself out loud. "I'm so sorry," she whispered. Great, not only had she possibly killed Gippal but this woman's daughter as well. She could have cried, but her energy was too wrapped up in her rescue efforts.

Gippal's body, now mostly uncovered, was face down and curled into a ball, but strangely, Rikku noticed tiny fingers and then a tiny hand poking out from in between his torso and his arm.

"Fryd dra ramm," she breathed, rolling Gippal over onto his back and uncovering a tiny Al Bhed girl who could not have been older than three. The girl peered up at Rikku for a moment with big, terrified unblinking Al Bhed eyes, before her mother swept her up, sobbing incoherently.

Rikku didn't even take a moment to wonder what such a young girl was doing at a Machine Faction dig camp. She was instantly hovering over Gippal, checking his breathing. His breaths were shallow but, yes, still present. "Phew," she breathed a sigh of relief. She did not know for a second what she might have done if didn't make it, especially after that fight they had just had. digging a Phoenix Down from out of her pack and shoving it past his lips.

He coughed in response, shaking himself awake. He blinked a few times to clear his slightly foggy vision and gave a small, thin-lipped smile upward at Rikku. For a moment, the bitter words that they had thrown at each other were forgotten.

Rikku bent over him and attacked him in a tight hug, squeezing her eyes shut. "I thought I had killed you!" came a muffled cry into his shoulder.

Gippal coughed some more. "Geez, kiddo, I'm alive now, but if you don't let me breathe, it might not be for long!" At the same time, however, he hugged her back, gently, a part of him not wanting her to let go just yet.

Rikku's cheeks flushed red with embarrassment, and she relaxed her grip. "Ooops…"

Gippal sat up slowly, as the memories of the last few moments before the hut's collapse started to return to his mind. He remembered having to dodge a few falling beams in order to get to the little girl, who was hiding underneath a small dining table. As he crawled under the table to get her, he could hear the wooden structure cracking all around them, and he knew the roof would fall before he was able to get the girl to safety, even if Rikku hadn't hit the hut with that spell. He settled for the best option, remain under the table and use his body as a shield to protect the girl from the impact of falling debris. Luckily, Rikku had been there to put out the fire and get the two of them out.

He looked around, his one eye frantic. "Where is she? Is she okay?"

"Yes," came the woman's voice from behind him, still choked up, "thanks to you."

At that moment, Rikku spotted Tidus, Yuna, and Paine jogging over to them.

"What's this?" Paine asked, raising an eyebrow. "Gippal, a hero? I don't believe it." She came up to him, shoving his shoulder with her knee.

"Ow," he grumbled, "still recovering over here!" He pulled out a potion from his pocket and threw it down the hatch. "And honey," he added, rising to his feet, "you _better_ believe it." He flashed her a cocky, ear-to-ear grin, and he followed this with a wink from his one good eye. She shoved him again, this time with two hands, knocking him back to the ground. Level with Rikku again, he caught her eyes and shrugged. Before shoving himself to his feet again, he reached for her hand to help her up as well.

Rikku furrowed her brow, a part of her now remembering that she was supposed to be angry with him, while another part didn't seem to care. The latter part won out, and she took his hand, soon rising to her feet.

Yuna shared a knowing glance with Paine before she turned to address Gippal. "We've put out the fires, but there has been… considerable damage to the buildings, and the machina.

"What about the people?" Gippal asked, now unphased by the destruction of property.

"We're okay," an Al Bhed man said, joining the group. "There are some injuries, but everyone is going to be alright."

Gippal nodded. "How did this happen?"

"We – I," the man stuttered. "No clue. The machina just seemed to burst into flames… and those that were close to the huts… the fires just spread so quickly."

"But how?" Gippal insisted.

"I might have seen something," the woman holding the little girl, spoke up. "Not long before the fires started, I was out fetching some drinking water, and I saw a large machina wandering in the desert. When it passed the camp, it paused, as if it were watching us for a moment, then continuing on. The next thing I knew, my hut was on fire with Kirka inside."

"Weird."

"Strange."

It was both Gippal and Tidus, nearly at the same exact time. Both were standing there, puzzled and scratching the backs of their heads. They looked at each other and instantly dropped their arms.

Rikku almost laughed but held back at the severity of the moment.

Gippal cleared his throat. "Well, there is too much damage for you all to remain at this site. The way it is now. We're headed just up to the temple dig site. You all pack up what you can salvage, and I will send the airship back to get you."

Rikku cleared her throat now, rather loudly.

Gippal rolled his one good eye. "If that is okay with the ship's owners," his voice was almost a growl, as his annoyance with Rikku was beginning to come back to him.

"Of course it is," Rikku grinned, rocking on her heels. It was now _her_ airship after all. Well, at least she was the one who called the shots on its destinations. She knew it was for the good of her people too, but how rude of Gippal to lend out her services without asking. She folded her arms across her chest, blew some hair out of her face, and nodded to her own thoughts.

_It wasn't long before we were back in the air, having left the workers at the campsite with a good supply of potions and Gippal's instructions._

_None of us had a clue what had caused the machina to malfunction, but who would have guessed that we would come to find out that so many of our troubles were all related._


End file.
